North County dialogue

Letters to the editor on North County issues, for March 2, 2014

‘Laughing Skies’ above Oceanside

Noise from Oceanside Airport was the subject of two letters in last week’s Dialogue section.

I am a close neighbor of the airport. I do not find the airplane noise objectionable. In fact, the sound that I associate with the airport is the sound of laughter and “woo hoo’s” coming from the sky divers as they float back to earth. All day long there is the constant sound of laughter and happy shouting coming from overhead. It’s actually pretty cool. I’ve nicknamed the neighborhood “Laughing Skies.”

Yes, occasionally the sound of an airplane is heard, but the racket from the steady parade of loud motorcycles blasting down Benet Road is the real source of the noise pollution in the neighborhood. (Are you listening Oceanside Police Department?)

Stuart Cannes

Oceanside

Enjoys the sound of planes overhead

Regarding the letter in the North County Dialogue section last week on pilots touch-and-go landings, one of the most frightening sounds I ever heard was the eerie silence in the skies after 9/11 when all aviation was grounded.

Ever since the planes have been allowed to fly again, there isn’t a single day when I’m outside and hear a plane, that I don’t look up into the sky and smile.

I love the Miramar Air Show, or watching planes take off and land at Lindbergh Field.

Small jets go over my house daily on their approach to Carlsbad, and I love it.

The letter writer would probably buy a house along I-5 and complain about the cars and trucks.

Sheila Schwander

Oceanside

Pilots are safe and responsible

Regarding a recent article about noisy, low-flying planes at Oceanside Airport, I received my private pilot license in 1978, and have been watching the criticism of pilots and their aircraft since then.

In fairness to our side of the issue, we are a very responsible group with no intentions of annoying anyone. That our aircraft can be noisy is a given. We do have a legal right to operate our aircraft in a reasonable fashion, abiding by all F.A.A. rules and regulations. Safety is emphasized continuously, and no pilot wants a reputation for being “dangerous.”

Although Oceanside has no control tower, it does not mean that it is without rules and standard operating procedures. I assure you the feds have explicit regulations regarding the safe operation of aircraft. It is not a “free for all.”

The article also stated that some aircraft incidents occurred involving planes without numbers to identify the aircraft. This just lacks credibility, as in all my years in aviation I cannot recall ever seeing an aircraft without its federally required N numbers.

I can empathize with the residents who moved near the airport before the airport was built. Homeowners who complain about the airport should know that when they sell their home, they must disclose this to the buyer.

If you are concerned about the airport, I suggest you visit and take a few flying lessons. Your view will be forever changed.

Burt Quackenbush

El Cajon

DMV lacking in building and service

Escondido is the fourth-largest city in San Diego County. It is simply unacceptable that our DMV office closed and went away. I say this after wasting considerable time in line at the Poway DMV. (The online DMV appointment system was, of course, out of commission.)

If the DMV cannot deliver an appropriate level of customer service, why doesn’t it farm out more of its operations to AAA, which always gives excellent service?

Kevin Kennedy

Escondido

Two women rose to top in education

When the women’s movement — the recent second time around experience — gathered speed and tackled egregious issues, education was immediately a prime target.

We realized that women were the organizers, the local “pillars” of education, but in the post World War II period, men forged ahead and become principals, administrators and superintendents.

The push for gender equality has reversed much of this. Many women start as teachers, but gradually they assume positions of leadership.

Two North County examples of this are retiring this year: Escondido elementary district Superintendent Jessica Walters and Lou Obermeyer of the

Valley Cener-Pauma Unified District. Obermeyer was California Superintendent of the year in 2012.

Both women started their careers as teachers; both made significant gains for their districts as superintendents.

They deserve our thanks.

Katherine B. Fromm

Escondido

The murder rate in Oceanside

Regarding “Murders in county fall to a near-record low” (Feb. 23) but Oceanside has the highest murder rate in the county, we might not have jobs but at least we have plenty of homicidal gangsters.